GENERAL STANDARDS FOR GRADUATION PROJECTS AND MASTER'S THESES STATEMENT OF RATIONALE Section 12 of Official Decree 1393/2007, of October 29th that establishes the regulations for accredited university tuition contains the guidelines for the design of undergraduate degrees and Section 15 sets out the guidelines for the design of graduate degrees. Paragraph 12.7 establishes that the graduation project will carry between 6 and 30 ECTS Credits and must be carried out during the final phase of the curriculum and be geared towards the assessment of the competences associated with the degree. Paragraph 15.3 establishes that "This tuition will conclude with the preparation and defense of a Master's Thesis that will carry between 6 and 30 ECTS credits. These standards have been prepared to comply with the provisions of Official Decree 1393/2007 in relation to Graduation Projects and Master's Theses and aim to establish the mandatory basic guidelines for all the graduation projects that are undertaken for the different accredited degree programs taught at UEM, always provided that these do not jeopardize the standards established under the verified research records. The Graduation Project and Master's Thesis (TFG/TFM) are courses that form part of the curriculum and comprise the undertaking of a project in which the student applies the knowledge, skills and competences acquired during their studies relating to a specific issue within the scope of the degree program. ARTICLE 1. OBJECTIVE AND TYPE OF GRADUATION PROJECTS 1. The Graduation Project and Master's Thesis (TFG/TFM) involves the student preparing an original project in which they apply and develop the knowledge they have acquired throughout their studies. 2. The TFG/TFM will permit the assessment of the competences acquired by the student within the areas of knowledge of the degree program studied as described in the curricula. 3. In general terms, the approach of TFG/TFM may include any course as a single issue or as a whole that is taught under the curriculum. 4. The selected topic that is the object of the TFG/TFM must permit it to be carried out by the student during the number of hours corresponding to the ECTS Credits assigned to that course under the curriculum. 5. The TFG/TFM may be prepared on an individual or group basis. The verbal defense may be carried out as a group or on an individual basis, in accordance with the specific standards of each School. 6. The Schools will organize the TFG/TFM course for each of its Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in accordance with the criteria generally established by the University. The organizational rules for the TFG/TFM corresponding to the different degree programs will be published on the web site at the start of the academic year. 7. With sufficient prior notice, the Schools will publish the list on the Campus Virtual to include
the topics that may be selected by students to undertake the TFG/TFM during the following academic year. ARTICLE 2. MANAGEMENT OF THE TFG/TFM PROCEDURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Only those students that are enrolled for all the courses pending to complete their studies may enroll for the TFG/TFM. 2. The choice of TFG/TFM by the students will take place during the periods indicated by the Schools. The list of decisions taken by the manager and the topics must be published on the Campus Virtual. 3. The Schools will establish the necessary mechanisms to ensure that each student has a manager, as well as resolving any issue that might arise during the development of the TFG/TFM, for example, the abandonment of the manager due to unforeseen circumstances. 4. Changes to the projects or managers appointed initially may only take place for exceptional reasons within a period of 30 days as from the date the lists are published. 5. The essential duties of the TFG/TFM manager will be: providing the student with guidance during the preparation of the TFG/TFM. guaranteeing that the initially defined objectives are achievable within the established period, and issuing an assessment of the TFG/TFM regarding its suitability for public defense that shall be a pass or fail. 6. TFG/TFM managers may be professors that teach at UEM, preferably of the courses that form part of the degree program being taken by the student or other related topics. At the criteria of the Schools, they may consider the possibility that the TFG/TFMs are co directed by external professionals that are experts in the project topic. ARTICLE 3. ACADEMIC SUPERVISION AND SUBMISSION OF THE TFG/TFM 1. Once the topic for the TFG/TFM has been chosen and the manager has been assigned, students must fill out and submit the specific agreement form to the TFG/TFM coordinator within the established periods. 2. The Schools will publish a minimum schedule of supervisory meetings between the TFG/TFM manager and the students. 3. The TFG/TFM manager will have to carry out as assessment halfway through the process of preparing the TFG/TFM to ensure it is progressing correctly. 4. In the event that the student has taken a degree program in English, the text of the TFG/TFM may be written in this language, and its submission and defense must also take place in English before the corresponding panel. In the case of bilingual degree programs, the TFG/TFM may be written and presented in both Spanish in English. 5. Once the TFG/TFM has concluded, the student must submit a copy to the TFG/TFM manager, preferably in a digital format. The manager shall issue a suitability report before the TFG/TFM is admitted for defense before the Panel. Each School will determine the extent to which the corresponding suitability report is binding to allow the student to proceed or not with the defense of the TFG/TFM before the Panel. 6. The panels must be provided with a copy of the TFG/TFM sufficiently in advance, in addition to
the TFG/TFM manager's report. 7. The Schools will establish and publish on an annual basis the calendar for registration, submission and defense of the TFG/TFMs for the different examination periods set. ARTICLE 4. TFG/TFM ASSESSMENT 4.1. PRESENTATION AND DEFENSE. 1. Unless expressly authorized by the managing board of the School, to be able to present and defend the TFG/TFM, the student: must have no courses that are waiting to be passed, apart from the TFG/TFM, that represent more than 12 ECTS Credits. Furthermore, other more restrictive criteria may be applied in line with the provisions of the curriculum research records. in the case of undergraduate students, they must have previously completed the Competency Assessment LPA. 2. The Schools are responsible for organizing the panel sessions and appointing their members. Once the reports from the TFG/TFM managers have been received, the TFG/TFM assessment panel will be summoned. The order and time for presenting the projects will be set and publicly announced by the Schools with sufficient notice period that may be no less than 5 working days in advance. 3. The defense of the TFG/TFMs will be carried out by the students in public sessions. 4.2. PANEL 1. The composition of the panel that is going to assess the TFG/TFMs will be appointed in accordance with the form established by the Schools. The members of the panel must be appointed sufficiently in advance of the panel being set up for presentation of the projects. 2. Each panel will comprise at least three associate members and three deputies. In addition, the panel may include a professor from another university, or from any of the fields of knowledge relating to the degree program, or a highly regarded expert from the field concerned. 3. It is recommended that the TFG/TFM manager is present during the public session as they may be invited to speak once the TFG/TFM of the student under their supervision has presented their defense. In the event the TFG/TFM manager is a member of the panel, they shall withdraw from the panel the moment the student under their supervision defends their TFG/TFM. 4.3. ASSESSMENT 1. The public presentation of the TFG/TFM before the appointed panel must take no more than 15 minutes. Following the presentation, the student must respond to the questions posed by the panel. 2. The panel will discuss the grading to be awarded to the TFG/TFM that is subject to their assessment, taking into account the scientific and technical quality of the TFG/TFM presented, the quality of the material submitted and the clarity of the presentation. The panel will also assess the debating skills and arguments put forward by the student. 3. Once the public defense has concluded, the panel will prepare an individual results record for each student. This record will be granted on the basis of the following numerical scale from 0 to 10. 4. At the end of each academic year, the TFG/TFM panel may confer the With Honors mention
on one or several TFG/TFMs, provided that these have achieved a qualitative grade of outstanding in the final assessment, in accordance with the provisions of the general assessment standards of the University.
5. The student may request a review of the grade obtained by means of an online application made to the Office of Student Affairs within three working days following the publication of the grade. In any event, the review will be carried out by at least two of the three members of the panel. This review overrides any other form of claim and no subsequent grade review may be undertaken by any Assessment Committee or similar entity. ARTICLE 5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 1. Graduation Projects and Master's Theses are works that are protected by the Intellectual Property Act and, as applicable by the Patents Act. The rights of intellectual property (copyright) or industrial property (patents) of the works carried out at the University shall correspond to their author or inventor. Notwithstanding, the owner may authorize the University to consult, disseminate and/or publicly exhibit the work on a non profit making basis and without prejudice to copyright. 2. In the case of projects carried out at companies, the rights of intellectual or industrial property will be established pursuant to the agreement signed with the company. FINAL PROVISION These standards will apply to the 2012 2013 academic year and any changes, in particular the provisions regarding the Master's Thesis, will apply for the academic year 2013 2014. The changes to these regulations provided for in the Article 4.1.1 apply from the academic year 2017/2018.